Fuse-box construction



Oct. 2,1923. y 1 1,469,439

H. P. LIVERSIDGE K FUSE BOX CONSTRUCTION Filed sept. 26, 1918 2 sheets-sheet 1 F.Z i

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FUSE BOX CONSTRUCTION Filed Sept. 26, 1918 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 n N 7//4//////////////////H ze K7 $7 ma W m. mw m l f Z W A 9. @v9.40 @M2M Q o W I Mfg@ F T Maw /,-/5 5a., o@ .m a. 1

. E4 ,w 7. mA Q. f l F Patented ocr. 2, 1923.

UNITED ysTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE P. LIVEBSIDGE, OF'BALA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FUSE-BOX CONSTRUCTION.

Application illed September 26, 1918. Serial No. 255,7.71.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, HORACE P. LIVERSIDGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at 127 Birch Avenue, Bala, in the county of Montgomery and State of Pennsylvania,

have invented a certain'new and useful Fuse- Box Construction, of which the following is a specification. l

My invention relates to boxes intended to contain and protect fuses and to protect an adjoining Lstructure from injury caused by blowing of the fuse.

Boxes for this service are very generally used on poles and in other places of difficult accessibility. They are subject to unusual stresses from short circuits due to tremendous current overloads lightning, etc., which stresses sometimes estroy the box. Frequentl a short circuit to the me l parts of t e frame takes place, usually njuring a portion of the adjoining frame structure fso seriously that lit must be, re-A` placed. The metal parts most sub'ect to short circuit injury are the top and ottom of the fuse-carryin structure and the top and bottom of therame of the-box at the front. However, with the boxes in general use it has been necessary to replace the box entlrely, involving the handling of the 80 heavy box and new outside connections.

My invention is `intended to reduce the injury to a minimum, to save expense and, more particularly, to enable the box to be placed in commission quickly and safely,

Il wherever located, so as to interfere with service as little as possible.

In the prior constructions for this purpose the boxes have been of such rigidity of construction or homogeneity of material 40. Athat any injury to the box re uires that the entire structure be-demounte and brought down to the ground and replaced b a complete new structure. The extende loss of service time, the difficulty of handlingthe I relatively heavy elements involved and the danger to the operator in some of the loca# tions re resented, make this very undesirable an place a large premium uponn the avoidance of injury initially as far as pos.- l0 sible, by resilient construction and substitution of replaceable parts for those injured. My invention is primarily directed to'these features... f

Aside from the benefits of greater speed u and safety of replacement where injury has been done there is a tremendous saving in the maintenance cost becausea comparativel small number of 1nd1v1dual parts can tien be carried in stock, made up almost wholly of duplicates of a few that are most liable to damage; saving the expense and Y ranted interference by outside parties.

Though the fuse is in such cases enclosed within a protective tube possible violence of explosion, due to sudden vaporization of the fuse requires that the box ltself shall form some protection fromthis danger.

Heretofore the attempt to protect by the box has been chiefly by the use of solid,

usually metal box walls which by their strength should withstand any explosive force from within and blows from without. This has resulted in a heavy and cumbersome box of excessive cost and usually also of poor insulating quality. My aim has been vto protect both from blastsvwithin and blows from without.

With these general objects in view the purposes of m invention are, to build up the `box in rea il replaceable sections upon a base to which t e outside connections may be made and which ordinaril need not be disturbed; and to form a ight skeleton metal structure with walls of resilient ma-A terial, securin the requisite strength with a minimum o weight.

r A further purpose is to use the resilient replaceable protective walls of the box to ho 100 d each other in place.

Further purposes will appear in the spec; ification and in the claims thereof.

I prefer to illustrate m invention by ref erence to but one embo iment thereof, selectin one which has in use proved to. bey practical, highly eflicient and inexpensive and which at the' same time well illustrates the principles of my invention.`

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the preferred form of my invention.

i two may be integral.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the same with the parts 1n opened osition.

Figure 3 is a section o Figure l taken upon line 3 3.' y

Figures 4 and 5 are sections taken upon lines 4-4 of Figure 5 and 5--5 of Figure 4 respectively.

Figures 6, 7, 8, 10, 1l, 12, 13 and 14 are front elevations of parts of the box shown in my preferred form.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of the main frame structure of the box.

Similar numerals indicate like parts in the drawings- The skeleton frame of the box illustrated is intended, to be made of metal and comprises the parts shown in Figures 6 to 9 of which the member shown in Figure 8 is used for a special form of accessible fuse mounting claimed by mein m application for mount for fuses in fuse boxes, Serial No. 255,772led September 26, 1918, and co-pending herewith.

The supporting member, here the back of the box, intended for more or less permanent mounting, and to which the other parts are attached, is shown at 15.

The cover 16 is connected with it andthe In the form shown it carries the side strips 17, 18 and the bottom ang rear sideustrips 19 and 20. It is mounte by latera rojectin su portin ears 21 and 22. Tiiep bottomgof the baclgr frame is formed by a bar 23 and crosspieces 24 and 24 at the back provide for support of insulators 25 and 25 (Figure 2).

The front of the skeleton frame is bordered by an edging 26 (Figure 7) rigidly secured by screws to the member 15 and carrying ears 27 as hinge supports for the skeleton fuse carrier 28 (Fi ure 8) andthe outer door 29 (Figure-6). he carrier has sides 30, 31 and transverse insulator Supports 32 and 33 for insulators 34 and 35 upon which the fuse is secured. The carrier and door are provided with ears 36 and 37 cooperating with fixed ears 27 to provide hinge connections by -which the carrier or door and carrier may be swung about a convenient art of the frame to open the front and witliidraw the use.-

As best seen in Figure 5, the upper part of the door 29 is provided with a latch 38 liliv operated by a handle 39 and so arranged that turning of the handle throws the pper bolt 40 free from its engagement witihl the roof of the box, releasing both th'e 4frame door and the carrier, and that further turning of the handle throws the bolt 41 .at the lower part of the latch into engagement with the lug 42 on frame member 28.-

Partial turning of the handle therefore, releases both the skeleton frame 28 and door 29. The llatter may then be opened freely. However, the skeleton frame 28 will be held in place by the fuse whichit carries and will remain in closed position unless the handlev positively operate it.

In the best form of my invention the walls of the box are formed of resilient sheets forming removable panels of non-inflammable or slow burnin material such as asbestos sheets or chem1cally treated or coated board or paper. The material may also advantageously be heat insulating and electrical insulating.

The walls are not only light and inexpensive but have suflicient resilience to yield to the explosions due to fuse va orization without giving way wholly an without being injured, and yet protect against injury o surrounding structure.

I find asbestos board very satisfactc -y and show the various shapes for one of the boxes as manufactured in Figures 10-14, though it will be obvious that the shapes for the walls will differ greatly for different constructions.

The back panel 43 may be inserted first and is held in place by the insu1ators25, 25 and screws 44 passing through cross pieces 24, 24. It is preferably so placed as to leave room below for the bottom 45, which rests on flange 46, and at the sides for th'e side panels 47, 47 which rest against the outer flanges 48, 48. The bottom and sides are, therefore, supported against outward movement by the flanges and against inward movement by the back.

The edging 26 is then put into position so as to retain the sides and bottom within grooves 49, 50 and 51 so that the bottom and sildes are held against movement at the front a so.

The panel 52 is slid in from the bottom beneath -lugs 53 at the sides and 54 at the end, and is sprung into place above the rib 55, by which downward movement is subsequently prevented.

Though the cushioning effect of the resilient walls is highly advantageous and greatly reduces th'e danger of bursting of the box and the tendency to force gas out of the box when explosion of a fuse takes place, it may still be desirable to vent the box when a fuse is used which is open at the end, as is the case with the one illustrated. The venting will th'en be in line with the fuse, as by holes 56 in the bottom. When the fuse is wholly enclosed the box will usuall not be vented.

The des1gn and intended use will determine whether, it be considered permissible or expedient to vent the box at all.

In the illustration I show the box as carrying al fuse which is used to act as a knife switch and which may be inspected without shift of the fuse position by opening the front door, or in which the fuse may also be withdrawn for inspection or replacement if desired.

Upon insulators 25 and 25 are mounted pairs of contact clips 57 and 57 in electri# cal contact with connecting strips 58 and 58 whose binding screws 59 and 59 engage conductors not shown b means of which the fuse is connected with the circuit in which it is to be inserted. The conductors are intended to pass through the walls of the box at convenient points. For this purpose I show openings 60 and 60 within which rest insulators 61 and 61. provided with flanges 62 by which they are retained within the openings.

With these contact clips enga e the electrical contacts 63 and 63 of a use holder 64 when the carrier 28 is in closed osition so that the holder carried thereby 1s effective as the knife of a knife switch. The holder is mounted rigidl upon the insulators 34 and 35 through pm or hook and eye connection not shown at one end of the fuse with a support upon one insulator and the engagement at 66 of a pin upon the other end of the holder with a spring clip upon the other'insulator. When the spring clip is released the fuse holder can be swung slightly to release from the eye but in the position shown is rigidly secured at both ends to insulators u n the carrier.

In operation the use holder is placed in position upon the insulators and is either thrown into contact with the clips by sepa-l rate closing of the carrier or by movement of the carrier and door together.

The door may be opened by partial turning of the handle without afectin the fuse carrier and without disturbing the holder contact, as when inspection merely is desired or the latch may be thrown far enough to engage the rear end of the latch with the carrier so that opening movement of the door will pull the fuse carrier to somesuch position as that seen in Figure 2 which isA the preferred limit of this movement. The door member may, however, move further as seen in this figure to give a complete view of the inside of the bo`x, for inspection, re-

-moval or replacement of the fuse.

It is to be noted also that in the preferred construction the back skeleton structure and. the rear wall are comparatively rigidly attached and form a foundation unlikely to yield to pressure and further removed from danger of arc injury than the rest of the box structure sothat the foundation remains unaffected. Unless the side wall is injured the connections with the outside wiring need not ordinarily be disturbed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by f Letters Patent is 1. In a fuse box, a back piece adapted to form a support for the box, in combination with a backpanel therefor, removable side and front parts adapted to be connected with the back piece without removal of the back iece, separate insulators at the front and ack, the back insulators holdin the back panel in place and contacts carriedl by the insulators.

2. In a fuse box, a skeleton su porting back piece adapted to mount the x and rigidly carrying horizontal side edges in combination with a removable skeleton front piece and panels adapted to fill in the skeleton parts.

3. A fuse box com rising a plurality of interlitting renewable skeleton metallic members, one of which carries edges for mounting others therein, non-metallic panels adapted to be fitted together to form a comlete box and fuse connections within the 6. In a fuse box, a rigid skeleton frame in combination with insertible walls completing the box of fire resistive non-metal1ic materia/l, fuse connections located within the box and in part mounted upon these walls.

7 In a fuse box, a skeleton frame in combination with resilient slow burning insertible sides and inlet and outlet insulators supported bv the sides.

8. In a fuse box, a skeleton frame, a. rear ,wall in said frame, insulators holding the rear wallv in position, resilient sides for sad frame and insulators supported by the s1 es.

9. In a fuse box, a skeleton frame in combination with resilient fire resistive walls intertitting to retain one or more of the walls by one or more of the other walls.

10. In a fuse box, a skeleton frame, resilient fire-resistive walls therefor, fitting into the frame, two opposite walls being held from collapse inwardly by one of the intermediate walls and a fuse and connections within the box.

11. In a fuse box, a skeleton frame in combination with removable back and side walls, theside walls being held against yinward collapse by the back wall and an insulator and connections holding the back wall against the back part of the skeleton frame.

12. In a fuse box, a skeleton frame in combination with a resilient non-inflammable bottom wall fitting a recess in the skeleton l lll frame at the front end, a resilient non-inflammable back wall fitting over the bottom wall and preventing upward movement of said bottom wall, connections from the back frame member to the back wall holding it in position and Side walls resting in recesses within the skeleton frame lalong their front edges and retained against lateral movement by engagement with the back wall. v

13. In a fuse box, a skeleton frame, in combination with resilient panels fitting in said frame, insulating inlets and outlets supported upon the resilient panels.

14. In a fuse box, a skeleton frame having` 15 a back piece, a top and rigid edges forming the sides and bottom thereof, a. skeleton front therefor and resilient non-inflammable panels to fill in the skeleton and complete the box closure and a fuse and fuse mounts within the box whereby the effect of fuse explosion is relieved by the yielding of the resilient walls.

15. In a fuse box, the combination of a, skeleton frame and resilient removable panels maintaining contact with the frame about their edges and completing the box, with insulators and a fuse mounted thereon of a type likely to explode in use.

HORACE P. LIVERSIDGE. 

